Mail-box.



S. PREDIANI.

MAIL BOX.

APPLIOATION FILED 111111.14, 1912.

1,058,41 9. Patented Apr. 8, 1913.

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S. FREDIANI.

MAIL BOX.

APPLIGATIONTILBD 1.116,14, 1912.

1 ,058,4 l 9. Patented Apr. 8, `1913.

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SANTI FREDIANI, 0F PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA.

MAIL-BOX.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 8, 1913.

Application filed August 14, 1912. Serial No.,715,045.

T0 all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, SANTI FREDIANI, a citizen of the United States,residing at Pittsburgh, in the county of Allegheny and State ofPennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Mail-BoXes, of which the following is a specification, reference being had tothe accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to new and useful improvements in mailreceptacles and more particularly to a receptacle designed to containboth packages and mail matter such as letters and the like and my objectis to provide a device of this character which may be more readily andquickly operated than any heretofore known.

A further object of the invention resides in providing a receptaclehaving a bottom formed in sections designed to be disposed to their openposition when released from engagement with a particular form of lockingmeans therefor.

A still further object of the invention resides in providing a devicewhich is eX- tremely simple and durable in construction, inexpensive tomanufacture and one which will be very eflicient and useful inoperation.

With these and other objects in view, the invention consists in thenovel features of construction, combination and arrangement of parts aswill be hereinafter referred to and more particularly pointed out in thespeciication and claim.

In the accompanying drawings forming a part of this application, Figure1 is a perspective view of the Adevice applied to use.

Fig. 2 is a vertical longitudinal section therethrough showing in dottedlines the position of the sections of the bottom in their open positionand also showing a mail bag engaged therewith. Fig. 3 is a horizontalsection through the same. Fig. 4 is a vertical section through thelocking device for the bottom; and Fig. 5 is a horizontal sectiontherethrough as seen on line. 5-5, Fig. 4.

In describing my invention, I shall refer to the drawings in whichsimilar reference characters designate corresponding parts throughoutthe several views and in which- 1 indicates a receptacle of rectangulardesign formed preferably of metal and having a central vertical dividingwall 2 mounted therein. This divides the device into a pair ofcompartments, one of which is adapted to contain packages and the otherlight mail matter such as letters and openings 3 are formed in the frontwall of the receptacle 1 to permit such mail matter to be deposited inthc respective compartments. The bottom of this receptacle is composedof -a pair of sections 4 and 5, which are each pivoted to one side ofthe center thereof on a horizontal transverse axis in the front and rearwalls, as shown at 6, and the one end of each of said doors or sections4 and 5 has the fiat weights 7 mounted therein, whereby the doors willhave a normal tendency to be disposed in vertical position.

The outer or weighted ends of the sections 4 and 5 are adapted tocontactwith the lower edges of the end walls of the receptacle l, whilethe inner edges of said sections are adapted to rest on a centraltransverse plate or the like 8 mounted on the lower edge of the centraldivisionvwall 2 and in order to lock said sections 4 and 5 in horizontalalinement with respect toy one another, to complete the bottom, theinner edges of the same are provided with keepers or the like 9 whichare adapted to be engaged by locking lbolts from an improved lock whichwill be inner opposed faces of these projections 15 are the additionalTshaped projections or guide" members 16 vwhich extend to points inhorizontal alinement with the upper and lower edges of the openings 14in the side walls of the casing and slidably disposed between theseguide members 16 and through the openings 14 are the locking bolts 17,the upper faces of which' are beveled inwardly for a portion of theirlengths, as shown at 18. Thev inner ends of said locking bolts 17 areprovided with the vertically disposed end plates or the like 19 whichare adapted to abut the free ends of the projections 15 to limit theoutward sliding movement of said bolts and in order to normally retainsaid bolts in their extended position, so that the beveled faces thereofproject beyond the side walls of the casing, the coil springs 2O areprovided and engage with the partition wall 12 and the inner faces ofthe plate 19 at the upper and lower ends of the same.

Formed on the inner faces of the plates 19 are the pairs of ears 20betweenwhich are pivotally mounted the arms 21, the free ends of whichare provided with heads 22 and pivotally mounted centrally of thepartition wall 21 is an oscillating arm or bar 23, the ends of which areprovided with slots 24 through which said arms 21 are slidably disposed.The pivotal axis of the arm or bar 23 is about mid-way of the endsthereof and also formed at this point is a laterally extendingprojection 25, which is designed square in cross section.

The front wall of the casing or housing 1 of the device is provided witha key opening 26 which registers with the projection 25, above referredto, and a key 2.7 having` the outer end thereof provided with a squaresocket 28 is adapted to be inserted through the opening 26 and engagedwith said stud or projection 25, whereby a turn of said key clock-wisewill obviously retract the locking bolts 17. A covering plate 29 is alsopivoti ally carried on the front wall of the housing to normally remainclosed over the opening 2G. In conjunction with this receptacle 1, Ihave also provided a collection bag 30, which is provided with a centraldivision wall 31 to provide a pair o-f compartments therein tocorrespond with the pair of compartments in the receptacle. The upperedge of the wall 31 is provided with a transverse strip 32 which isadapted vto correspond with the transverse plate 8 in the receptacle,while the upper edges of t-he side walls of the bag are provided withstrips 33 adapted to be engaged with laterally extending flanges or thelike 34 formed on the lower edge of the side walls of said receptacle.These strips 33, it will be seen, may readily engage with the laterallyextending projections 34 on the'side walls so that the compartments ofthe bag register with the compartments of t-he receptacle, whereby whenthe bottoms or closures for the latter compartments are open, thecontents thereof may be emptied into the bag.

In operation, assuming that the receptacle is in its closed and lockedposition, should the mail carrier desire to remove the contents thereof,t-he bag 30 is applied lto the bottom of the receptacle so that the sidestrips 33 engage the laterally extending flanges 34, whereupon the key27 is inserted in the opening 26 and turned clock-wise. The turning ofthe key in this direction, will, as stated above, retract the lockingbolts 17, whereby the closures 5 will swing on their pivots, in view ofthe weighted ends thereof to allow the contents of the compartments ofthe receptacle 1 to be emptied into the respective compartments of thebag. Said bag may then be removed and by drawing upwardly upon theweighted ends of the closures l and 5, so that the same contact with thelower edges of the side walls of the receptacle, said bottoms will beautomatically locked at their inner opposed edges under the lockingbolts 17. In this connection, it must be stated that the bottoms Ll and5 are cut-away slightly at their inner opposed edges to receivetherethrough the casing 10 and when disposed to their locked positions,the upper faces of the bottoms or closures I and 5 will contact with theunder faces of said locking bolts 17. In view of the sliding movementthat the arms 21 have with respect to the oscillating rod or bar 23, itwill be understood that each section of the bottom will be closedindependently of the other without affecting the lock in general. Whenthe mail matter has `been removed from the receptacle 1, and the bottomsor closures il' and 5 again disposed to their locked positions, the bag30 may be closed and readily carried away by the postman.

From the foregoing it will be seen that I have provided an improved mailreceptacle which will admit of both letters and packages being depositedtherein and it will further be seen that I have provided an improvedreceptacle for carrying the packages and letters from the receptacle andretain the same in compartments separate from one another. It will stillfurther be seen thatvI have provided means whereby t-he mail matter maybe more quickly and readily removed from the receptacle than is possiblethrough the present means in vogue and thus lthe time ordinarilyrequired to complete a mail route, will be lessened. It will further beseen that the device is one which is extremely simple and durable inconstruction, inexpensive to manufacture and one which will be veryeiicient and useful in operation.

lVhile I have particularly described the elements best adapted toperform the functions set forth, it is obvious that various changes inform, proportion and in the minor details of construction may beresorted to without departing from the spiriit or sacrificing any of theprinciples of the invention.

Having thus described this invent-ion, what I claim is A receptacle ofthe class described comprising a top, side, front and rear wallstherefor, a central vertical partition wall disposed therewithin, astrip secured to the lower edge of said partition wall and projectingbeyond the side faces thereof, a bottom formed of a pair of sectionspivoted centrally to the front and rear walls, the

inner free ends of said pivoted sections being adapted to rest upon theprojected portions of said strip, the inner ends of said bottom sectionsat the edges adjacent the front wall being cut-away, weight meansapplied to the outer free ends of said bottom sections, the latter endsof said bottom sections being ada ted to contact with the lower edges oft e side walls of the receptacle, and means on the lower end of thecentral partition wall to automatically lock said bottom sections whenthe same are disposed to their horizontal positions, said latter meansbeing received in the cut-away portions of said bottom sections when the1b latter are horizontally disposed.

In testimony whereof I hereunto affix my signature in the presence oftwo witnesses. n SANTI FREDIANI. Witnesses:

GUY BONISTALK, J. A. RosENBLATn Copies of this patent may be obtainedfor five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

` Washington, D. C.

